He also said, “Whoever wears it in this world will not wear it in the Hereafter.” In other words, he will have no place in Paradise. Some scholars, however, maintained that he will enter Paradise but will be deprived of silk there—even though the attire of the people of Paradise is silk—and will be given something else to wear. All of this holds so long as he does not repent; if he does repent, then Allah forgives the sin, for He says: “Say, ‘My servants who have transgressed against themselves, do not despair of Allah’s mercy. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins’” (Q 39:53).

This ruling concerns natural silk produced by silkworms. As for synthetic silk, it is not forbidden, yet it is unbecoming for a man to wear it, for it reflects effeminacy and lowers him from the rugged demeanor that befits a man—he should dress in garments of manliness, not in fabrics of softness. The benefit of stating that synthetic silk is not prohibited is that, should a man wear an unseen synthetic-silk skullcap or undergarment, there is no harm in it. A shirt or ghutra (head-scarf) made of it, however, though technically lawful, remains improper for a man because of the softness and abasement it conveys, and because an uninformed observer might assume it is natural silk, regard that as permissible for men, and then imitate him. Safety lies in avoiding it. The same applies to gold: it is forbidden for men and lawful for women because they